confirmed! Aug 15,09 post#20 Air travel ticket name must match photo ID name exactly?

[ruadisneyfan2]

But your dad and brother wouldn't have the same birthday, they would have been born in different years? For the DOB requirement the year of birth will be required.

Right. I was just agreeing with 5boyz that I too know people with same name and birthday but with different years.

 

[CPT Tripss]

Why not just leave a space where the hyphen would be?

Then it isn't an exact match.

 

[cigar95]

If one regularly is selected by the airline for addition security screening, then it's pretty easy tofigure out that one's name is on the watch list.

I know the watch list screening is done electronically . . . that's why it's dumb to have the ID check at the security line. TSA staff do not have the lists memorized, nor do they check names against anything.

Yeah, it's a type I / type II thing - one can figure that some names probably *are* on the watch list, but one can't determine in advance if one is *not* on the watch list. If I make a reservation for "Edgar Renteria", the only way to determine if it's on the watch list is to actually make the reservation and show up at the airport. So someone trying to avoid being flagged can't do it without flying at least once.

The ID check at the airport, on the other hand, isn't related to the watch list at all. It's just to determine that the person getting on the plane is the person whose name is on the reservation.

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

Then it isn't an exact match.

I don't think these are the name matching errors they're looking for. It's more for like when the ressie has one name, say married name but her ID is still in her maiden name.
You guys are picking this apart too much. They are not asking people to change their names cuz Southwest Airline's computer doesn't allow for a hyphen.
Just like with the initial long lines and confusion surrounding the liquid ban, this will all iron out.

 

[baz212]

Why not just leave a space where the hyphen would be?

Partially because that would make my last name start with a W instead of a B and it would not exactly match my ID

 

[jrc-elpaso]

I don't know about other airlines but American only has spaces for first and last names when making on-line reservations. I'm betting others are the same way.

 

[macraven]

i booked with american and put my first and middle name in the first box.

my ressie shows it as 2 names with the last name.

 

[CPT Tripss]

Yeah, it's a type I / type II thing - one can figure that some names probably *are* on the watch list, but one can't determine in advance if one is *not* on the watch list. If I make a reservation for "Edgar Renteria", the only way to determine if it's on the watch list is to actually make the reservation and show up at the airport. So someone trying to avoid being flagged can't do it without flying at least once.

The ID check at the airport, on the other hand, isn't related to the watch list at all. It's just to determine that the person getting on the plane is the person whose name is on the reservation.

But that doesn't do one whit to give security, aand it doesn't work - http://disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2187963&page=4 (see post 51). What nonsense, "enhancing" a non-effective process.

The "authorities" were looking for a woman and she just breezed through security with stolen ID. Real ID, mind you, just not hers.

 

[dioxide45]

We received an e-mail from AirTran indicating that they have updated their website to capture the newly needed information.

You can go in and update your profile to add middle name/initial, gender, and DOB. So even if you didn't book your ticket with your middle name, I would think your boarding pass will print with it. I will confirm on our flight this Saturday when we return home from vacation. We booked our flights back in February and obviously didn't provide our middle initial, added our updated information last night. If they print based on what was provided at booking it won't show a middle name on the boarding pass, if it prints based on provile information, it will show our middle initial

 

[a1tinkfans]

According to SW
They will require the info in Oct or later and are currently working with TSA, she said they will also require dob, sex, and any initial.
Their current system does NOT capture this info and she said that there would be NO ISSUE for those traveling until it goes in effect as there is no way to "update" their current system for individual callers now (and no place to ADD initial in on their current reservation sytem when we booked) ..
I really hope she was correct, I am planning on bringing our passports just in case..................

 

[a1tinkfans]

When I first read this thread I called SW. The lady didnt know anything about it but checked for me...she came back and said "you know what let's just save us the time and add the middle names anyway that way they are there". She sent me the new confirmation and we are all done.

Someone mentioned the same name and adding birth dates, I know 2 guys named Andrew Taylor and both have the same birth dates...different years though....

SW?????????????

they just told me not possible to ADD initials........WTH?????????????

 

[Tinkerbells mom]

This is giving me a headache! I think this will get interesting! What about people with two middle names (like me) and I hyphanate my maidan name and married name! So I have one first name two middle names and a hyphanated last name! (five name together!) On my licence I have my first name my middle initial (use my first middle name initial) and hyphanated last name. On my passport I have the whole thing! Usually no room to put my whole name on an airline reservation! Glad their not checking children as my daughter has two middle names too!

 

[CPT Tripss]

This is giving me a headache! I think this will get interesting! What about people with two middle names (like me) and I hyphanate my maidan name and married name! So I have one first name two middle names and a hyphanated last name! (five name together!) On my licence I have my first name my middle initial (use my first middle name initial) and hyphanated last name. On my passport I have the whole thing! Usually no room to put my whole name on an airline reservation! Glad their not checking children as my daughter has two middle names too!

DW and DD have hypenated last names too . . . leads to interesting saltatios in the personalize junk mail. I have not begun to try to figure out what happens when Ms Smith-Brown marries Mr Jones-Black

ID does not = air travel safety!

 

[tinka-belle]

As a travel agent, I participated in a conference call from the TSA regarding the new requirements several months ago.

This will be phased in over the next year or two, as airlines update their systems to not only collect this information, but to transmit it to TSA 72 hours (or at time of ticket purchase if within 72 hours) before the flights. TSA will supress the boarding pass if the name-gender-DOB is on their watch list for further security checks at the airport. The TSA transmission part will not happen all at once, but as each airline's system complies. Once TSA clears the names (supposedly will take just seconds) the boarding pass can be printed, either online or at the airport. Knowing the airlines, it might be a while before all are fully compliant, so the TSA is phasing this in.

IF you are a match on the watch list the airline cannot print your boarding pass. To prevent this, those who know ahead of time that they are a match can apply to TSA for a "redress number", which will be a permanent number assigned to that person to be given with every airline reservation. This basically says that TSA has investigated you already and you are not a threat. The airlines and travel agents will collect this redress number with your DOB info, so obviously the airlines will create a field for it. If you don't have the redress number in your reservation, no boarding pass until you get the once over from TSA security.

Secure Flight is basically taking the security function from airline discretion and making it electronic through the TSA. Once fully implemented the program is supposed to speed up security and prevent so many people from being pulled over when their names are a close match to the watch list. For the time being, slight name variations, like a middle name or initial, is allowed. But once in place there must be an exact name and DOB and gender match for all airline travel, not just international as is currently the case.

 

[disneyholic family]

the name on my ticket almost never matches exactly...
the security people sometimes notice...the airline people sometimes notice..
it's never an issue for me...my name is so difficult, they can't blame me that the airline invariably screws it up...

i'm coming back in to edit this....i even carry two passports, on which the english spelling of my name doesn't match...

 

[kevgraub]

As a travel agent, I participated in a conference call from the TSA regarding the new requirements several months ago.

This will be phased in over the next year or two, as airlines update their systems to not only collect this information, but to transmit it to TSA 72 hours (or at time of ticket purchase if within 72 hours) before the flights. TSA will supress the boarding pass if the name-gender-DOB is on their watch list for further security checks at the airport. The TSA transmission part will not happen all at once, but as each airline's system complies. Once TSA clears the names (supposedly will take just seconds) the boarding pass can be printed, either online or at the airport. Knowing the airlines, it might be a while before all are fully compliant, so the TSA is phasing this in.

IF you are a match on the watch list the airline cannot print your boarding pass. To prevent this, those who know ahead of time that they are a match can apply to TSA for a "redress number", which will be a permanent number assigned to that person to be given with every airline reservation. This basically says that TSA has investigated you already and you are not a threat. The airlines and travel agents will collect this redress number with your DOB info, so obviously the airlines will create a field for it. If you don't have the redress number in your reservation, no boarding pass until you get the once over from TSA security.

Secure Flight is basically taking the security function from airline discretion and making it electronic through the TSA. Once fully implemented the program is supposed to speed up security and prevent so many people from being pulled over when their names are a close match to the watch list. For the time being, slight name variations, like a middle name or initial, is allowed. But once in place there must be an exact name and DOB and gender match for all airline travel, not just international as is currently the case.

Thanks for posting this. I just wish the media had taken the time to get some of these facts figured out before starting the spread of concerns for flyers that if their names did not exactly match their ID as of May 15, they would not be able to fly.

 

[locolala]

Honestly this makes sense to me. I used to work for an international airline, and some of our flights went to the Middle East. We used to get a lot of passengers that flew with us who had names similar to those on the no fly list. All we had to do if the name was flagged was have a supe check the name and facts on the passport and then compare it to the facts on the no fly list. If it seemed too similar, we'd call the airport police and let them handle it. If it wasn't a match, they were allowed to fly with no hassle. Yes, some people got upset but most people didn't mind. They realized that it was really a security issue, and accepted it as such. What seemed to upset more people was when they were given selectee status, which has nothing to do with your name, but is given when certain conditions are met (flying into certain countries, having a passport from certain countries, and some regarding how a ticket is purchased).

 

[dioxide45]

We received an e-mail from AirTran indicating that they have updated their website to capture the newly needed information.

You can go in and update your profile to add middle name/initial, gender, and DOB. So even if you didn't book your ticket with your middle name, I would think your boarding pass will print with it. I will confirm on our flight this Saturday when we return home from vacation. We booked our flights back in February and obviously didn't provide our middle initial, added our updated information last night. If they print based on what was provided at booking it won't show a middle name on the boarding pass, if it prints based on provile information, it will show our middle initial

While AirTran may have very well tranmitted our updated profile information to the TSA. Or maybe not yet since it is not fully implimented. Our boarding passes did not print with the middle initial that I input in our online accounts. We had no trouble at the security check at all.

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

While AirTran may have very well tranmitted our updated profile information to the TSA. Or maybe not yet since it is not fully implimented. Our boarding passes did not print with the middle initial that I input in our online accounts. We had no trouble at the security check at all.

I was wondering how they'd figure that out. I too received the email to update my profile. So I did for my family of 4 and my parents who are cruising with us. But how can their computer know who's who when I was logged in to my account when I booked for all of us?
The only way it could apply the updates to all of us would be if I had booked each ressie separately while logged in to each of our accounts.
Maybe it can track their A+ account #.

 

[dioxide45]

I was wondering how they'd figure that out. I too received the email to update my profile. So I did for my family of 4 and my parents who are cruising with us. But how can their computer know who's who when I was logged in to my account when I booked for all of us?
The only way it could apply the updates to all of us would be if I had booked each ressie separately while logged in to each of our accounts.
Maybe it can track their A+ account #.

When we book the reservation we always input each others A+ number regardless of who's account we are logged in to at the time. When I look at the reservation it can be seen on both my wife's and my online accounts, not just under mine where the reservation was made.